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Palin probably won't win over the mainstream media, but she needs to engage with them nonetheless. Palin is a candidate with great strengths and weaknesses. The greatest of the weaknesses is that she is seen as unprepared to be president, with critics citing her 2008 campaign performance and resignation from the Alaska governorship as proof. She will have many supporters in the Republican primaries, but to broaden her support and to bring down her negative ratings, she needs to be seen showing that she has substance to a broader audience than just conservative media.

With her fame and intense supporters, she might be tempted to announce her candidacy later, avoid some primary debates and stick to conservative media, but this would be a mistake. She needs to get into every debate and answer every wonky policy question from the mainstream media. That is her best chance of winning over people who like her but doubt she is presidential material.

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